Soccer Player Arrested for Brutal Attack on Ref

A soccer player in Brazil is going to be punished with a lot more than a red card for a brutal attack on a referee. Sport Club Sao Paolo player William Ribeiro is facing a charge of attempted murder over the incident in a Monday night game against Guarani-RS, CNN reports. Video from the game shows Ribeiro, angry at being given a yellow card early in the second half, knocking referee Rodrigo Crivellaro to the ground and kicking him in the head, leaving him motionless on the field, reports Yahoo Sports.

Players from both teams pulled Ribeiro away from the referee, who was rushed to the hospital by an ambulance that drove onto the field. Crivellaro was kept for observation and discharged the next day. "This player needs treatment because he is totally out of control," the referee said. "He deserves to be arrested for a long time." Authorities say the attempted murder charge was filed because the powerful kick could have killed the referee. Sport Club Sao Paolo tweeted that the incident was one of the "saddest in its history." The team said Ribeiro has been fired and "all possible and legal measures in relation to the fact will be taken." (More Brazil stories.)